Moving to a Different Home by Bike

Inspired by a movie he watched during the 2009 Bike Shorts Film Festival, Jeff Pedelty called on family, friends, neighbors and anyone willing to help him move from Tantra Lake to his new home in Peloton. The twist: Voluntaries would be moving all his belongings by bike. Pedelty’s plead for help was answered by nearly 25 volunteers with bikes and bike trailers on June 6, 2010.

The distance the bike movers covered was a bit over three miles. Lisa Seaman, one of the volunteers, likened the move to be a “bike parade” where the volunteers were encouraged to honk at passing cars and waved to pedestrians. The bike parade lasted an hour, until the helping cyclists reached Peloton around 11a.m. Pedelty prepared refreshments for his helpful movers that awaited their arrival.

Pedelty explained that the idea of using bikes instead of simply hiring a truck to have his things moved was a testament to being car-free since the spring of 2009. “What you do one day out of the year is a drop in the bucket compared to what you do everyday.”

He added, “We’re not inventing anything here. Other people have done it before.” In fact, Pedelty himself already participated in a previous house moving event on his own bike.

Pedelty organized the large group to move his furniture and things from a sofa, queen-sized mattress to a toaster. All his things were distributed to volunteers with bike trailers and saddlebags. Pedelty believes that the idea of using bicycles for moving purposes is similar to barn raising and fosters a bond that can strengthen ties in the community. “It’s a question of what you want to do with your Sunday morning,” said the 52-year old cyclist.

Should you consider a move such as this, you have to take others into consideration. For example: the amount of things a volunteer can carry, how long the entire moving will take, the distance of the move, the weather and the number of volunteers. Pedelty stresses that it’s all a balancing act.